Cascade plant relies on high-tech machines to create parts

CASCADE, Iowa (AP) — Through the hustle and bustle of the Centro Inc. facility in Cascade’s industrial park, the arms of a three-pronged machine move through the air with carefully thought-out precision.

The rotational molding machine moves through the various stages of creating parts like a choreographed dance, spinning all the while in a slow, deliberate motion. The smallest molds are the size of large suitcases — the largest, closer to small cars.

“You’ll notice that it’s rotating this way,” said Operations Manager Mike Stopko, gesturing with his hands to mimic the machine’s motion. “But it’s also rotating that way along the second axis.”

The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports that the biaxial rotation is an essential part of the rotational molding process done at the Centro site in Cascade, in which resin is poured into various molds, then heated and cooled. Rotating in two directions makes sure the resin is evenly distributed against all sides of the mold, ensuring an even thickness and clean shape.

The custom rotational molding facility opened its Cascade location in October 2021, one of 10 of the North Liberty, Iowa-based company’s manufacturing sites across the U.S. and Brazil. The two Rotalign machines at the Cascade site make pieces for Deere & Co. and Honeywell.

“We’re making parts where you can go out in the field or drive down the road and see them being used,” machine operator Jeff Oberbroeckling said of the products made for the Cascade site’s main client, Deere & Co. “You can see the impact.”

Some of the items made at the site include hoppers and fertilizer tanks for Deere & Co. and industrial eye wash stations for Honeywell.

Regardless of size, Stopko said it takes around one hour for each mold to make it through the entire production...